


Wherever You Are Is Where I Belong

by goddess_julie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-26 08:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2644829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddess_julie/pseuds/goddess_julie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Is this where you've been hiding?  A voice breaks into his focus and Liam finishes reading his sentence before raising his gaze.  He smiles at the man standing in front of him and nods to the empty spot across the table from him.</p>
<p>"Not hiding," Liam argues.  "Studying.  I need to focus."</p>
<p>or Liam is hiding but gets found out and maybe it is better this way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wherever You Are Is Where I Belong

**Author's Note:**

> NaNoWriMo day 19. Fluffy Liam/Louis. Sitting at Panera while it snowed like mad and I just had this play out in front of my eyes. *sigh*

The snow is falling steadily outside of the window. Fluorescent lights are illuminating the store fronts and while he knows it's freezing outside, the warmth on the second floor of the cafe he's come to study is keeping him cozy. Liam has been here long enough to finish one essay for his history class and has started making notes for the exam they've been told to expect next week. He gets why they have exams before winter hols, it just doesn't mean he has to like it.

The coffee that he'd bought when he arrived has long since been drained and he's too lazy to get up for a refill. He also thinks that it's time he actually got something to eat that's more than a piece of fruit or cake, but again, the issue lays with him having not only to get up from his seat, but go down the stairs to order. They'll bring the food up to him, but he can't be arsed to get to that point.

Instead, he ignores the rumbling in his stomach and focuses again on the textbooks in front of him.

"Is this where you've been hiding? A voice breaks into his focus and Liam finishes reading his sentence before raising his gaze. He smiles at the man standing in front of him and nods to the empty spot across the table from him.

"Not hiding," Liam argues. "Studying. I need to focus."

"And you have to clear right off campus to do that?" Blue eyes twinkle as Liam unsuccessfully tries to hide his blush.

"Louis." Liam's voice is more of a whine, he groans as his friend's lips curl into a devious grin. It's of no use. Within seconds, Louis has his phone out and is typing furiously. He's surprised when his own phone chimes with the arrival of a new text.

"Found Payno. Tried to do a runner. At the cafe on Wichita. Second floor in the back."

"You realize you sent that to me too Lou."

Louis shrugs. "I've got everyone in a group. Too much work to type everyone out, so if the rest of them are getting it, so are you."

It's futile to argue or to insist that he needs to be alone so he can focus on school and his work. He knows how easily distracted Louis is on his own, but throw in Harry, Niall and Zayn and it will be nearly impossible for Liam to get any work done. He's shocked when Louis opens his backpack and pulls out his laptop and a few books.

"What's the matter Payno?" Louis asks when he sees Liam staring at him in surprise. "You think you're the only scholarly one?"

Liam knows he's not. He knows how brilliant Zayn is without having to try. How hard Niall works to keep his GPA up to appease his parents enough so that they'll let him work as hard at his music as he does. And Harry is always studying something or another and it is reflected in his exceptional marks. But Louis is different. Liam knows he goes to school. He knows he's majoring in theatre with a minor in English, but he's never actually seen him do school work. Obviously it's what he does when he's not with the group, but Liam assumed that Louis studied like he did everything in life, loud and with flare. Or at the last minute done hastily and with enough charm that he never worried about his marks.

Zayn's text tone interrupts whatever he was going to say. Both he and Louis check their phones to see that he is with Niall and Harry in the music building and are working on the final parts of Harry's assignment. Liam and Louis had already done their contribution earlier in the week and he'd said that all he needed was Zayn's part and for Niall to help him work it all together and it would be ready to turn in.

"Looks like it's just you and me Payno," Louis winks. He is sitting cross legged on the chair kitty corner at the table to where Liam is sitting, their school work all spread out over two tables. It's chaotic but at the same time fits together like pieces of a puzzle. 

When Liam smiles back, he notices that Louis has put his glasses on. He's taken off his beanie, leaving his hair sticking up at odd angles, but his scarf is still wrapped loosely around his neck and he looks as warm and cozy as Liam feels. A series of flutters play in Liam's stomach and he smiles before focusing again on the text in front of him.

Sometime later the appearance of a tray above him breaks Liam from the focus he has. Louis cheers and starts to bounce in his seat as he quickly starts to arrange their books into two distinct piles. It makes enough room for the tray to fit between them. The cafe employee turns around to the table beside them and pulls two mugs from a second tray.

"Yorkshire tea?" He asks. Louis cheers and points at himself. Liam can't help but giggle.

"Hot chocolate with extra marshmallows?" 

Liam's eyes widen and he can't fight his own grin. "ME!!!" He sees Louis roll his eyes and nod.

"Who else?"

They're told to enjoy their dinner and are once again left alone at their table. Liam's stomach growls so loudly that a girl siting a few tables down looks over and snickers.

"Proper child you are," Louis chides affectionately. He hands Liam a plate with a half sandwich and soup. "Probably haven't eaten since you got here."

It's the truth and they both know it. Liam responds with a half shrug and dips his grilled cheese into the creamy tomato soup and takes a huge bite. Louis tries to hide his grin behind his own half of the grilled cheese but Liam catches it and knocks their feet together under the table.

"Thanks Lou," he says softly.

"Can't have you taking care of yourself now can I Leemo?"

Conversation over their dinner is easy. Casual like their friendship and Liam realizes that he's actually really happy that Louis had found him. He thought that being alone would help him to get a lot of work done. And it had, but now having the other lad there makes him feel content in a way he had been missing all day. They finish eating and check the time. It's just before five. Liam wants to have a strong study outline done before he leaves the cafe. Thinking honestly, he probably only has about another hour to hour and a half left of focus in him before he'll totally lose it. Less if Louis starts distracting him.

It is as if Louis reads his mind and he pulls out his phone, flicking through his apps. He sets the phone in the middle of the table with a smile. "Okay. I've set the timer for 90 minutes. We'll do an hour and a half more work and then we'll be done. We can go back to mine and watch some movies as a reward for all our hard work."

Liam can't stop the grin that results and he nods.

The next ninety minutes pass in a flash. Liam is startled when the phone on the table begins to chime indicating that the timer has run out. He looks up and is startled to see how focused Louis still is on his laptop screen.

"Ten more minutes, Louis whines with a pout. He's typing furiously and Liam can't take his eyes off of him.

It's not the first time Liam has thought Louis was breathtakingly beautiful. He's got his lip caught between his teeth and he's shifting anxiously in his seat. Louis must realize that Liam is just staring at him, his chin in his hand and eyes focused on Louis' face. He watches Louis eyes flicker from the laptop screen to Liam and then back.

Louis is obviously startled when he realizes that Liam's not only look at him, but full out leering at him creepily. 

"What?"

"You said an hour and a half."

"I know but..."

Liam shakes his head affectionately. "What time did you start today?" Liam sees Louis' eyebrows furrow and he shakes his head.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"What time were you up for class? What time were you at the theatre for rehearsal? What time did you start today?"

Louis blushes and looks down, focusing very hard on his fingers on the keyboard. 

"Lou?"

"Was at the library at eight."

Liam reaches over and turns the laptop around so that he can look at it for a moment. He watches Louis struggle not to argue and he offers him a wink as he covers one hand and squeezes. It takes a few keystrokes to save the documents that Louis has been working on. He begins to shut down the computer before turning it back around for Louis to put away.

It's a matter of minutes before Liam has his own books organized and settled into his backpack. Louis follows suit and they work in silence until they're both sitting at the table with mirroring smiles on their faces.

"Thanks," Louis' voice is soft. Liam can't stop himself from threading their fingers together.

"I should thank you," Liam admits with a blush. "I'm glad you found me."

"Me too." Louis admits to Liam that he usually prefers to study on his own, everyone around him proves to be too much of a distraction if he has too much going on around him. There is always the lure of goofing around or talking to avoid doing any serious work, which is why he most often holes himself up in a far corner of the library to do most of his course work. But his usual place wasn't helping him with inspiration today and he knew he had to find somewhere else to work.

Without apology, Louis admits that he'd weaseled Liam's own secret hideaway for coursework out of Zayn before they'd headed over to the music lab and had purposefully sought him out to work with.

"I know you don't like having anyone around while you study but I just..."

Liam shakes his head with a smile. "I'm the same way. I can't focus with everyone around, but this was different. I liked this." 

He doesn't know how to tell Louis that he liked being able to look up and see him sitting across from him, focused on his own work and not realizing how gorgeous he looked in the light from the screen. How Liam wanted so desperately to run his fingers through Louis' hair and calm his unruly flyaways. He definitely didn't want to admit how domestic it felt, the two of them sharing easy smiles as they broke from their work to take a drink, or for Liam to ask Louis a question he didn't understand, or for Louis to bounce an idea off of Liam.

As he looks into Louis' eyes, Liam realizes that maybe he doesn't have to tell him. Maybe he knows.

"Tomorrow, maybe we'll work at your spot?" Liam asks shyly. He's not sure if he wants to go back to studying on his own now, especially after how great the last few hours have been with Louis. He is surprised when Louis leans across the table and cups his jaw before bringing their faces together in a gentle kiss. When Louis moves to pull away, Liam chases his lips and kisses him again. 

They've danced around whatever this is between them before. It's never gone this far though. Something always found a way to interrupt and stop them before it even could begin. But for the first time since Liam knew he wanted to be more than just Louis' mate, it finally felt like it was time. It's time and its right and Liam sucks playfully on Louis' lip before letting the smaller man pull away fully.

Louis' phone is ringing before anything more can be said. They both look down to see Harry's name illuminated and Louis groans. "You are literally the world's biggest cock block, you know that Harold?"

Liam can't help but giggle against Louis' throat. Their mouths meet and Louis ignores Harry's low, steady voice in his ear.

"What did he want?" Liam asks when they pull away. Louis shrugs.

"Didn't listen past the point where you giggled into my face and started to lick my tonsils.

Liam's phone chimes with a text and he grins. "My best friend is much smarter than yours."

Louis can't even argue, it's the truth.

"Listen up slags. Drinks at The Common. We're here, come join us."

After much discussion, they decide to go meet up with the others as long as Liam agrees to go home with Louis after. 

"We can just go to the library tomorrow together. It'll save us both time."

"Plus we can get in a shag afterwards tonight," Liam supplies with a grin. It turns into laughter moments later.

"A shag? You've obviously been lied to about my sexual skills. There will be shags. Plural. And orgasms. Loads of them."

"Loads of orgasms," Liam laughs. Their fingers slot together instinctively as they make their way from the cafe to the tube that will take them to their favourite pub.

It all happened so easily, so effortlessly. Like how Liam had met and fallen in with his five best friends. It had been Niall who had introduced him to Louis and Liam knew from the first moment they'd met that Louis would one day be everything to him. He hadn't expected it to go both ways. He knows they'll get ribbing form the others on how long it took them to get to this point. But he's always believed in fate and how things happen when and how they’re supposed to.


End file.
